Construction elevator



March 7, 1939. P, RATTIGAN CONSTRUCTION ELEVATOR Filed March 2, 1938 INVENTOR.

necessity of having a a double drum on Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES earner OFFlQE.

2,149,629 CONSTRUCTION ELEVATOR Patrick Rattigan, Westbury, N. Y.

Application March 2,

Q 4 Claims.

'The purpose of this invention is to make it possible for the contractor building four or five story buildings to install an elevator on the job that is manually operated, which eliminates the licensed engineer on the job continuously, as, with a manually operated elevator of this type, any workman can raise or lower his material as desired.

The invention is a hoisting unit consisting of drums with suitable ratchet brakes, and reduction gears by which the drums may be operated by a crank, and this unit is used in combination with a double elevator adapted to be constructed on the job having platforms suspended on cables, with the cables from each elevator passing to opposite sides of the drums so that one elevator travels down as the other travels up, thereby providing balancing means.

Many elevators of different types have been used on construction jobs, and these have been operated by different means, and many types of elevators have been provided wherein the cage in one balances that in another, however, it is desired to provide a simple double elevator with a common shaft so that the elevators may be balanced through the drum, and also in which the drum may be rotated by a crank arm through suitable reduction gears.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to simplify the construction of elevators of the type used in building construction for relatively small buildings so that the elevators may be manually operated as desired.

Another object is toprovide improvements in elevator operating mechanism, in which the platforms or cages of two elevators may be balanced through cable winding drums.

Another object is to provide a combination elevator for relatively small buildings in which means is provided forraising or lowering the cages or platforms by hand.

Another object is to provide a method of arranging the drums and gears of a two cage elevator so that the operating mechanism may readily be transferred from one job to another, and

elevator parts constructed on the job.

Another object is to provide means in a two cage double shaft elevator in which the cages are balanced through a drum, by which the ele-' vation of one cage may be adjusted in relation to that of the other, thereby making it possible to stop each elevator cage at any elevation.

A further object is to provide a simple elevator operating mechanism, in which means is provided 1938, Serial No. 193,568

for locking or holding the elevator cages at different points through the operating mechanism.

A still further object is to provide a construction elevator having two cages in two shafts, with the cages balanced through an operating mech- 5 anism in which the said operating mechanism, and also the elevators, are of a simple and economical construction.

With these ends in view the invention embodies a plurality of drums on a common shaft, with a gear between them, reduction gear-s meshing with said gear, a crank adapted to rotate said reduction gears, ratchets adapted to hold said gears and drums in substantially any position, cables extending from said drums, with one of said cables extending over the upper surface of the drum, and the other around the lower surface, and, in combination therewith, two elevator shafts with cars therein, and with the cables from the drums supporting said cars, and with means adjusting one of said cars on its supported cable.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a view of a side elevation of a complete unit of the elevator and operating mechanism with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the interior of the operating mechanism, with the case and suppo-rting means omitted.

In the drawing the elevator is shown as it may be made, wherein'numeral l indicates the'opcrating mechanism base, numeral 2, the elevator base, and numerals 3 and 4, the drums.

The base i may be constructed in the form of a platform, with any suitable cross members, and these may be attached with any means 'or held together in any manner. The respective parts are mounted upon the base through bear- 40 ings, and, although plain bearings of the pillow block type are shown in the drawing, it will be understood that any suitable bearings may be used. 1

The drums 3 and 4 are mounted upon a shaft 5 in bearings 6, and between the drums is a gear l to which the drums are rigidly attached, and

it will be noted that a cable 8 from one of the drums passes over the upper surface, around a pulley 3 on a shaft H1 in bearings H, over a pulley 2 at the upper end of one of the elevators, and downward around a pulley it, the end thereof being attached to the elevator car I4 at the point 15; the cable 16 from the drum 4 passing under the drum, around a pulley upward .5

similar to the pulley 9, upward over a pulley corresponding with the pulley I2, across to the other elevator, and downward over a pulley IT to a car I8 in an elevator shaft, and this cable is attached to the car through adjustable take-up mechanism in a block l9, thereby making it possible to raise and lower the car in relation to the cable and also in relation to the position of the other car, so that the relative positions of the cars may be adjusted thereby, and it will be understood that a similar block may be used on the other car if desired, although this is not necessary.

In this block the cable I6 passes over a pulley 2E] and around a drum 2|, and the drum is operated by a worm gear 22 by a crank 23. The block I 9 is attached to the upper end of the car through an eye bolt 24, and it will be noted that by turning the worm gear 22 the drum 2| may be rotated to wind or unwind the cable.

The drums 3 and 4 are provided with ratchet wheels or teeth 25 and 26 at their opposite ends, and these may be engaged by pawls 2'! and 28 pivotally mounted in bearings 29 and 33, and it will be noted that ordinarily these pawls will not engage the teeth, however, when it is desired to stop any one of the cars at any point, the pawl may be thrown into engagement with the teeth so that it will stop the drum, and the pawl engaging the teeth of the drum corresponding with the loaded car will be, the one that is thrown into engagement with the teeth, as, with the car l4 loaded, it Will be necessary to lock and hold the drum 3, whereas, with the car [8 loaded, it will be necessary to hold the drum 4, the cables 8 and I6 pulling in opposite directions on the drum. The pawl 28 may be directly operated by foot pedals 3|, and the pawl 21 may be thrown into engagement by a foot pedal 32 on an arm 33 that may extend across the base I, so that both pawls may be operated from the same side.

The gear 1 is shown meshing with a gear 34, and this may be rotated by a pinion 35 on a shaft 36 upon which the gear 34 is also mounted, and the pinion 35 is shown meshing with a gear 37, the opposite side of which meshes with a pinion 38 on a shaft 39 which may be rotated by a crank 48. The shaft 39 is mounted in bearings 4!, the shaft 42 upon which the gear 3? is mounted is supported in bearings 43, and the shaft 35 is supported in bearings 44. These gears and drums may be enclosed in' a case, as indicated by the numeral 45,'and in the upper part of the case is a ratchet 46 pivotally mounted on a shaft 41 and provided with a handle 48, and it will be'noted that, with the handle moved in one direction, one end of the ratchet will engage the gear 34, and, with the handle moved in the opposite direction, theother end will engage the gear 31, the ratchet being mounted between the two gears, and the ends offset to engage the gears respectively,

In this design a friction brake 49 is also suggested, and this may be mounted upon the shaft 32 and operated by a foot lever 50, however, it will be understood that this is not necessary, as the rotation of the gears and drums may be sufficiently controlled by the ratchets so that the friction brake is only suggested, and is not an essential part of the invention.

In the design shown, two elevators are illustrated, one as indicated by the numeral and the other by the numeral 52, with the car It. in the elevator-5l, and the car l8 in the elevator 52, and it will be noted that these elevators may be constructed in any manner and supported by any means. Only the vertical supporting members 53, 54 and 55 with cross members 56 are illustrated, however, it will be understood that any suitable diagonal bracing or other supporting means may be used. The elevators are provided with a beam 5! at the top, and tracks or rails 58, 59, 60 and BI, and the cars are provided with U-shaped clips 62 fitting over the rails or guides. These cars or the guiding and holding means may be of any type or design.

It will be understood that other changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention. One of which changes may be in the arrangement of the gears for operating the drum, as these may be combined instead of being in a continuous train, another may be in the use of other means for looking and holding the drum or cars at any point or points, and still another may be in the use of other meansfor connecting the drums to the cars.

'The construction will be readily understood from the foregoing description. In use the operating unit on the base I may be supplied as a standard or independent unit and the pulleys and cars supplied therewith, and this may be set up on the job, and the elevator frame built with the temporary structure in accordance with the requirements of the building. The cars may readily be suspended in the shafts by the cables, and by the difierent locking means these may be held at any point or points. The cars may be loaded and may readily be raised and lowered by anyone turning the crank 40 so that a carpenter, bricklayer, orplasterer may raise or lower any of the products he is using whenever desired.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination, elevators mechanism therefor, in which the operating mechanism comprises a, sectional drum having a section for each elevator, with cables extending from the respective sections of the drum to elevator cars, a train of gears adapted to be manually operated by a crank for rotating said drum, and ratchets engaging both the gears and drum for locking the drum and elevator cars in different positions, said device characterized in that the cables and drum sections are arranged so that one car balances the other.

2. A combination of elevators with operating and operating means therefor, as described in claim 1, in which the elevator cars are mounted in individual shafts in a common framework, and a train of gears is positioned at one side thereof, with the cables passing from the drums directly around the pulleys on the framework and upward over pulleys at the upper ends of the shafts, with one cable extending downward to the center of one car and another to the center of the other.

3, A combination of elevators with operating means therefor, as described in claim 1, in which the elevator cars are mounted in individual shafts in a common framework, and a train of gears is positioned at one side thereof, with the cables passing from the drums directly around the pulleys on the framework and upward over pulleys at the upper ends of the shafts, with one cable extending downward to the center of one car and another to the center of the other, and further characterized in that a manually operated brake is provided in the train of gears for controlling the movement of the elevator cars.

4. A combination of elevators with operating and another to the center of the other, and means therefor, as described in claim 1, in which further characterized by an individual drum the elevator cars are mounted in individual shafts which provides the connecting means between in a common framework, and a train of gears is the operating cable therefor and the car, and positioned at one side thereof, with the cables means manually rotating said drum to adjust the 5 passing from the drums directly around the position of one car in relation to the other to pulleys on the framework and upward over pulleys equalize the movements of the cars to insure at the upper ends of the shafts, with one cable stopping of the cars at floor elevations.

extending downward to the center of one car PATRICK RATTIGAN. 

